Towards the Heavens
by augmentedfourth
Summary: Growing up in a strange town, Mila learns of her destiny but worries about her ability to fulfill it. Pre-PSI, leading up to in-game events.
1. Chapter 1

The unrelenting snow and freezing temperatures on Dezoris were difficult for the Palman settlers to endure. They had built their first town, Skure, underground to escape the harsh weather and most traveled the tunnel to the surface as little as possible. Insulated by many layers of heavy earth, they could almost convince themselves that out on the streets, it was as warm as the towns they had left on their home planet.

As Dezoris moved closer to the sun in its orbit, though, there were some warmer days. Despite their dislike for the cold, the Palmans could appreciate the serene beauty of the icy planet and some would venture up to take a quick look at the snowy landscape. During the planet's "summer", the sun would sometimes shine through the ice-encrusted trees and cast a pleasant glow across the frozen plains.

On one of these warmer days, a father led his young daughter through the spiraling tunnel, away from the warmth of Skure. Mila held on tightly to her father's gloved hand as they went around another corner, gradually heading uphill. The six-year-old had not seen the surface since the first day they had arrived on Dezoris and she had only caught a glimpse of the outside world before her father had taken her underground.

Jonathan Chase had opted to leave his home planet after the sudden death of his wife. An employee of the Palman government, he volunteered to go to Dezoris and join a team of explorers searching for a suitable place to start building a second settlement. Naturally, he had to bring his little girl along, and he was lucky enough to find a kindly neighbor to watch his daughter on the days he was gone from Skure.

Mila was thrilled whenever her father was home and an outing to the surface with him was almost more excitement than she could handle. He had bundled her up in a heavy jacket, woolen mittens, and a matching hat that could barely contain her thick, dark curls. Mila almost complained about the restrictive outer gear, but she decided against it, as she didn't want anything to ruin the day.

The pair exited the tunnel out onto the white snow. Mila immediately dropped to her knees to pick up a handful of the fluffy substance that was foreign to her. Jonathan laughed and pointed to the sky. "Look, Mila! You can catch the snow as it falls!"

Mila stuck out her hands and watched as the flakes landed on her mittens. They only lasted a brief moment before melting and she ran around, trying to catch the biggest ones. Jonathan let her play for a bit before calling her back over to him. "I want to show you something," he said to her. "It's a bit of a long walk, but I think you can handle it. What do you say?"

"Okay, Daddy!" Mila beamed up at her father. He led her to an inlet in the mountains south of Skure and she soon saw the small opening in the icy rocks. She looked up at her father apprehensively.

"It's dark inside, a lot darker than the Skure tunnel, so be sure to stay close to me." Jonathan pulled a small disk out of his pocket. Once inside the cave, the disk lit up and allowed them to see in front of them. Mila held on to her father's free hand as he easily navigated the short passage. It wasn't long before they were outside, on the other side of the mountains. Mila looked around the small clearing, but her father hurried her across to another cave.

After they exited a third cave, Jonathan turned to his daughter. "It's just a little further, we have to go through those trees." Still holding Mila's hand, he led her through a small forest, trying to avoid the dripping branches. "Here we are," he said as they passed through the last group of trees. "Take a look."

Mila gasped as she saw the giant, snow-covered plain in front of her. There was nothing but pure whiteness as far as the eye could see. Nothing on Palma compared to this – there were always trees, or water, or rocks, or buildings breaking up the land, but this part of Dezoris appeared to go on forever. "It's like we're at the end of the world," she whispered to her father.

She ran out until she couldn't see the forest they had just left, her father following behind her. She spun around, feeling the soft snow falling on her face, laughing the whole time. Jonathan danced with her, glad he was able to share his favorite place with his daughter. He taught her to make snowmen and snow angels and the pair even engaged in a gentle snowball fight.

After several hours, Jonathan looked up at the sun. He wanted to be back at Skure before dark, so he led Mila back across the vast plain to the forest from which they had emerged. As they wandered through the trees, he heard a noise that made him stop in his tracks. He put a hand on Mila's shoulder and motioned for her to be quiet.

He heard the noise again, this time much closer. He slowly turned his head to the left and pulled a small laser gun from under his jacket. Mila followed her father's gaze and saw what had startled him.

The creature vaguely resembled a lion, though its face almost looked eerily human. Large, yellow wings sprouted from its back, making its presence seem even more imposing. Jonathan and his team had encountered these animals before and he knew they could be aggressive and attack without warning. It was the first time he had encountered one without backup.

Jonathan took a step backwards and nudged Mila so she was behind him. The creature growled and the two Palmans stood perfectly still, not wanting to provoke it. The creature growled again and this time, Jonathan saw it raise its tail, the indication that it was about to strike. Without moving, he whispered one brief instruction to his daughter. "_Run_."

The urgency in his voice sent Mila running through the woods as fast as her little legs could carry her. She heard muffled screams behind her and she, in turn, screamed back. She had no idea where in the forest she was, as all the trees looked the same, and she had no idea what to do. Should she stay in one place and wait for her father? Should she try to find her way back to Skure and bring help?

The sound of a gunshot interrupted her thoughts. She fell to the ground and curled into a little ball. With her face buried against her knees, she hoped her father would find her soon.

A few moments passed and Mila heard something moving towards her through the trees. _Please let it be Daddy and not that horrible monster_, she thought to herself. She finally willed herself to look up and screamed again.

The figure that stood before her resembled a Palman in size and shape, but his skin was green and scaly, almost like that of a reptile. He cocked his head to one side, almost as if he recognized her, but it was little comfort to Mila, as she tried to scoot backwards away from him.

The tall green man noticed that he still had his gun drawn and hurriedly put it away. He put his hands up in the universal "I intend no harm" gesture and took a step closer to her. Saying something in a language she did not understand, he offered his hand to her.

Mila shook her head. "I have to stay with my father." The man did not understand her. She pointed vigorously in the direction from which she had come. "I need my father! We have to go home to Skure."

The man looked in the direction she was pointing and seemed to understand a little. A look of sadness came over his strange face and he shook his head. Despite her young age, Mila could sense what had happened and she began to cry.

The man offered his hand to her again and, fresh out of options, Mila grabbed it and stood up. He removed his tall, brown hat from his head, revealing a perfectly smooth, hairless pate, and offered it to Mila. She reached up to her own head and realized that her own hat must have come off as she was racing through the forest. She accepted the offering and put it on. It was a bit too big for her head, but she was grateful for the added warmth as the sun was fading in the distance.

She followed the green man through the woods and out into a clearing. At the opposite side, there was yet another cave. Though they all looked similar, Mila was fairly sure she and her father had not been inside this one. After a short walk, they were through the mountains, and to Mila's surprise, there was a small fence surrounding a tunnel that reminded her of the one in Skure.

The inside of the tunnel was very similar to the one she had left early that morning. It was longer, though, and she felt as if they were traveling deeper into the earth. They exited the passage and Mila looked around. The roads were simply dirt paths, as opposed to the paved streets of Skure, and the buildings were made of a different material. Strangely, the large village was split into two sections.

The man led her to the eastern side of town, to a building in the far corner of the hollowed-out space. From the outside, it looked a little like the church in Skure; inside, however, it was quite different. Once they passed the front room and entered the main chamber, it was nearly completely dark inside. The man led Mila down an aisle that separated two groups of benches and indicated that she should sit on one in the front row. Mila obeyed and continued to study her surroundings.

The only light in the large room came from a flickering torch that sat up high on the front wall. In front of it was a simple rectangular altar, made of dark wood and free from any adornments. Mila was mesmerized by the dancing flame and didn't notice the man had disappeared into a room off to the side until he came back with another person.

The new stranger appeared to be very old, as his hairless green skin was covered with deep wrinkles. His clothes were more elaborate than those of the man that had brought her here, and Mila could sense that he was very important. The two men whispered in that strange language she could not understand and the older man turned to her and studied her intently. He seemed to have that same look of recognition on his elderly face, though Mila knew she had never met anyone like him before.

Suddenly, Mila felt frightened. Her six-year-old mind raced with all sorts of horrible thoughts. _What are they going to do to me? Are they going to hurt me? Are they going to eat me? Should I run? Could they catch me?_ She remained frozen in place as the men continued discussing her.

Finally, the two men parted and the older one went back into the side room. The first man beckoned Mila to follow him once more and he led her outside the dark room, outside the building, and across to the other side of the village. He turned onto a narrow side path and walked to a house that sat at the end. Opening the door, he ushered her inside.

Two more of the strange green people sat at a table, eating dinner. The older one somehow seemed to have delicate, feminine features, despite her lack of hair. The younger one was much smaller and seemed to be around Mila's age; she couldn't tell if this one was male or female. Both of them stopped eating and wordlessly stared at the young Palman.

The man was the first to break the silence. He spoke to the woman, presumably his wife, and as he spoke, the woman's expression changed to one of sympathy and pity. She rose from the table and retrieved an extra set of dishes from the cabinet behind her. Placing them down on the table next to those of her child, she motioned for Mila to sit down.

They ate without speaking. The food was different from what Mila was used to, but she didn't mind, as it had been many hours since she had last eaten. The small green child had abandoned his meal in favor of gaping openly at Mila; at one point, he reached out to touch her thick hair, but his mother angrily swatted his hand away.

After the family had finished eating, the woman left the room and returned with a clean set of clothes that had belonged to her child. She showed Mila into a small bedroom and shut the door. Even with the door closed, Mila could hear the child complaining to his mother; not only was she taking his clothes, but it seemed that she would be taking over his bed for the night.

Once she had changed into the fresh clothes, Mila opened the door and peeked out. The woman said several words to her husband, who took the child and disappeared into another room. She produced a clean blanket from a closet and brought it into the bedroom. Straightening the covers as quickly as she could, she motioned towards the bed.

Mila climbed under the blankets and pulled them up to her chin. She turned towards the wall and waited to be left alone. The woman stroked her hair in a maternal gesture before turning out the lights and shutting the door.

Finally alone in the darkness, Mila began to cry again. She didn't want to be here in this strange place, with these strange-looking people who spoke a strange language. She wished for her father to suddenly appear before her and take her back home, but, of course, it never happened. While fervently wishing to go home, Mila eventually cried herself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mila, where are you?"

"In my room, Ederi, where else?" Mila answered in fluent native Dezorian.

Her foster brother stuck his bald head into the doorway. "I'm going to the temple now, instead of after dinner. Do you want to come with me?"

Mila looked down at the schoolbook she was studying. It could wait. "Sure, let me get my hat."

The Dezorian people rarely went anywhere without covering their heads, as their hairless skin did very little in protecting them from the cold. For Mila, it wasn't as necessary, as her dark curls now reached halfway down her back, but she liked wearing her hat whenever she went out in the town. She grabbed it from the bedpost, where she had tossed it earlier, and joined Ederi outside.

It had been six years since Mila had been brought to the Dezorian village. Most of the natives had grown accustomed to her presence, but there were still some, even after all these years, that were still wary of her. Parek, the man who had rescued her and taken her in, had explained to her that many Dezorians did not trust the Palmans and feared for the future of their culture if the Palmans continued to emigrate to the ice planet. Most of the townspeople, luckily, treated her as one of their own. Some even wanted to learn the Palman language, and she was happy to oblige.

Mila and Ederi made their way across town to the temple, greeting those who passed them and ignoring the ones who crossed to the other side of the street. They entered the large stone building, passed through the fore-chamber, and went directly to the main room. Mila let her eyes adjust to the darkness and looked around – for now, they were the only ones there.

Much like at the church in Skure, the Dezorians gathered together at the temple once a week to listen to the bishop speak. Other than the weekly meeting, however, everyone was expected to visit the temple once a day for personal daily prayers. The temple doors were always open so the Dezorians could pray at any time, day or night. Even young children were expected to visit daily with their parents.

Mila followed Ederi to the front of the room and knelt at the opposite end of the altar. The large torch, eternally burning, cast a warm glow over them. Mila had learned that the torch was allegedly originally lit during an eclipse nearly one hundred years ago, and the Dezorians would not allow their sacred flame to ever be extinguished.

Unlike the Palmans at the church in Skure who bowed their heads in prayer, the Dezorians looked skyward as they prayed. They gazed up past the light of the torch, towards the heavens; the many feet of dirt and snow between them and the fresh air didn't seem to be a factor. Mila thought this made more sense than facing downward while praying; in her imagination, whomever, or whatever, was listening to her prayers would be watching over her from above.

Mila focused on the light and tried to clear her head before turning her head towards the high ceiling. Her daily prayers never really changed all that much. She prayed for her parents and hoped they were together in some sort of afterlife. As she had gotten older, her mother, especially, was becoming a distant memory, but if Mila concentrated, she thought she could still see her face. She thanked the Light for Parek and Dimara opening their home to her and taking such good care of her. As many twelve-year-olds did, she prayed that her brother wouldn't annoy her so much, as she rather liked him when he was being friendly towards her. Finally, as they were all taught to do from an early age, she prayed that she would grow up to be a faithful servant to the Light and be "of pure body, mind, and spirit", as the bishop would say.

She stood up and went back to the entrance to wait for Ederi. As she walked down the aisle, she saw two women sitting in the back row, waiting for their turn at the altar. They had been whispering to each other, but stopped as Mila passed by. She went to the small front room to wait, but stayed right by the doorway. Straining to listen, she could make out some of the words the women were saying: "...Palman...funny-looking...can't trust them...rumors...the bishop said...chosen ones..." She blinked at that last bit. Chosen ones?

Ederi came through the door, startling her. "It's not nice to eavesdrop," he said, wagging a finger at her.

"I wish they wouldn't talk about me," she said once they left the temple.

Ederi shrugged. "They have nothing better to do, don't get too upset about it."

They kept walking. Mila paused before breaking the silence. "Do you know who the 'chosen ones' are?" she asked.

"No." He walked on for a bit before asking a question of his own. "Where did you hear about something like that?"

"Those two women were talking about it. There was something about the bishop, too. I could have heard more, but _someone_ dragged me away."

"Like I said, they have nothing better to do. They were probably just making up stories."

Mila wasn't satisfied. She waited until the whole family was eating dinner to discuss the day's events. "Ederi and I went to the temple today and there were two women there talking about me."

Many conversations in the past had started similarly, but they hadn't had one in a while, as Dimara had thought that by age twelve, Mila had gotten used to not being accepted by everyone. "Mila, dear," she said comfortingly, "as we've told you before..."

Mila shook her head and interrupted the familiar speech. "I don't care if they don't like me. They don't know me and I don't know them." Dimara smiled a bit at her adoptive daughter's confidence. Mila continued, "There was something different this time, though. I could only hear some of what they were saying. I know they were talking about me, but then I heard them talking about rumors about what the bishop said and some people called the 'chosen ones'."

Parek stopped eating. "Did you hear anything else?" he asked.

"No, I didn't," she said. She could tell by his reaction that Ederi had been wrong, that they hadn't just been making up stories. "But I want to know what it means."

Parek sighed. "I'm afraid I can't tell you yet, now is not the time." He looked at the expression on Mila's face and knew that she wouldn't accept such a simple answer. Dimara touched his hand and nodded at him. "All I'll tell you right now is that we knew you were coming to us. Well, maybe not you specifically...but many years ago, the bishop said he had a vision and a Palman played an important role in our future. His visions are infrequent, but he always puts great emphasis on them."

Mila looked confused. "I'm going to be important in the future?" She didn't know if she was pleased or terrified by the thought.

"According to the bishop, yes. There is more, but as I said, now is not the time."

Ederi kicked his sister under the table to tell her to let the subject drop. Dimara cheerfully changed the subject to the children's schoolwork. As in most Dezorian families, Mila and Ederi listened to lessons from their mother during the day and spent the afternoons either completing practice problems or reading quietly. Ederi was interested in science and would conduct a variety of experiments in his room, while Mila preferred to read about the history of Dezoris.

The following day, Mila's prayers changed from her usual routine. She prayed to the Light for answers – she knew not to ask Parek about the bishop's vision again, but as most children her age are, she was impatient. She prayed that the right time would come soon, and if it didn't, that she could forget about what she had heard until then. Lastly, she prayed that whatever important role she was supposed to fulfill, she would be successful.

Her prayers were effective, for in about a week's time, Parek offered to accompany Mila to the temple one evening. He usually made his daily trip in the early morning, so this gesture was out of the ordinary. Mila followed him inside the temple, but rather than kneeling at the altar, Parek walked over to the small chambers that were adjacent to the main room.

Inside sat the elderly bishop, looking as if he had been expecting them. A younger priest, whose clothes were slightly less elaborate than those of the bishop's, stood behind him to the right. There were two chairs set up in front of the two holy men and Parek and Mila sat down.

"I've heard you have some questions, Mila," the older man said.

She couldn't remember a time where the bishop had addressed her directly and she suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. "Yes, Bishop," she said softly.

"And I've heard Parek has told you about my vision all those years ago, yes?"

"Some of it."

The old man nodded to his assistant, who brought over a small stone replica of the holy torch. Mila had seen them before; most of the houses in the town had at least one, her own included. The old man gently cradled the small statue and looked down at the image of the flame. "We have been praying to the Light for hundreds of years. We strive to serve the Light, and in return, the Light protects us."

Mila nodded, as she had heard this many times at the weekly meetings. The bishop went on. "However, where there is Light, there is also Darkness. The Darkness has sometimes made attempts to extinguish the Light, along with all life in Algol. Obviously, we cannot let that happen."

Mila still wasn't quite sure where she fit in with all of this, so she stayed silent as the bishop continued his lecture. "Our people are in possession of a number of important items. These sacred relics are crucial to fighting the Darkness and cannot fall into the wrong hands. That's where you come in."

She was surprised. "Me?"

The bishop nodded. "When I had the vision all those years ago, the Light sent a message that the Darkness was increasing in strength and was going to come to Algol, though I couldn't tell exactly when that would be. In the vision, I was shown the ones I could trust with our holy items. Most of the faces were familiar to me, including that of my young assistant here, but the last figure shown to me appeared to be a Palman woman."

Mila's eyes grew wide. "And that's me?"

"Though the woman in the vision was older than you are now, even when you first came here as a young child, the resemblance was striking."

Mila didn't know how to respond. Parek, who had been silent this whole time, took her hands in his own. "When I found you that day in the forest after I shot the animal that killed your father, I knew you must be the one the bishop had seen. That is why I took you back here instead of trying to return you to Skure."

She was still confused. "I still don't know exactly why I'm here, or what I'm supposed to do."

The bishop smiled, the wrinkles on his green face becoming even more pronounced. "There is nothing for you to do now, Mila, I do not want you worrying about any of this. I have been watching for signs of the Darkness and it is not fully here in Algol, not yet. Continue with your studies and your daily prayers, and I will call on you when the time has come."

Mila and Parek thanked the bishop and left the temple. She had gotten the answers she had prayed for, but she didn't know what to make of them. On one hand, it was rather exciting that the bishop had known about her for many years and that she was to be trusted with protecting her people. On the other hand, it did seem like an awful lot of responsibility. She was glad to serve the Light in any way necessary, but she hoped that her time wouldn't come that soon, as she was still relatively young.

When she went with Ederi to the temple the following day, she returned to her usual daily prayers. This time, though, she added one to the end of the list. _Please don't let me fail_, she prayed to the Light.


	3. Chapter 3

Dimara tried to make Mila's eighteenth birthday as special as possible. She had baked a cake and decorated the top with laerma berries. The family usually did not give gifts on birthdays but, as in the Palman culture, turning eighteen was considered special, as it marked the passage into adulthood. Parek had gotten her a book about exploration into the mountains, and Ederi gave her a new hat. Aside from the cake, Dimara had also made a dress for Mila. The Dezorian women wore pants like their male counterparts, but Mila had remembered some of the different clothing that the Palmans had worn and Dimara was able to create a long, flowing dress from her descriptions.

As they all sat around the table eating the cake, Mila felt blessed to be with a family that loved her so much. No one could ever replace her own parents, but from the moment she had stepped into their house, Parek and Dimara had treated her as if she were their own daughter. She even considered Ederi to be her best friend, now that they were older and didn't tease each other as much.

In the following days, however, Mila reflected on her now adult life. She led a simple, yet fulfilling life in the Dezorian town and had never wanted for anything. Sometimes, though, she thought about what her life would be like if she had grown up with her fellow Palmans. Now that she was eighteen, she thought about it even more. Would she have a job by now? Would she be married and ready to start a family of her own? Would she even still be on Dezoris, or would she have gone back to Palma?

All these thoughts were running through her head early one morning when the knock at the door came. Mila left her bedroom and went to the front door, but Parek had beaten her there. Peering over his shoulder, Mila saw the priest who served as the assistant to the bishop. Even before he said anything, Mila knew what was happening.

"The bishop has requested to see Mila," the priest simply said. "Please send Ederi as well." Having delivered his short message, he quickly left.

Parek called for Ederi and relayed the instructions. Somehow sensing that she may not be back anytime soon, Mila changed into her new dress, grabbed her new hat off the shelf, and slipped Parek's small book into her pocket, wanting to have things from the people who loved her close to her. Ederi took his own hat and put it on as Dimara came into the room to find out what all the commotion was about. The two siblings hugged and kissed their parents goodbye and left for the temple.

Though the temple was usually a serene and quiet place, this morning was different. There weren't many people inside, but those who were there were moving around quickly and calling out to each other. A young man who Mila recognized from her part of the town exited the bishop's chambers holding an elaborate shield made of pure laconia. Another man emerged with a laconian sword. The bishop's assistant was standing on a chair underneath the holy torch. Mila watched as he held a smaller torch to the fire, lighting it. Cupping his hand around the small flame, he carefully climbed down and slid a topless glass cylinder around it to protect it.

Ederi nudged Mila towards the bishop's room. She entered first and waited for the bishop. When he finally appeared, she could tell he was worried about something.

"I have received word that King Lassic has turned himself over to the Darkness," said the bishop solemnly. "He is allowing the Darkness to permeate Algol and I'm afraid that it may have already reached us here on Dezoris." He produced a small box from his robes. "Whatever happens, Lassic and his minions must not be allowed to take the aeroprism!"

"The aeroprism?" Ederi asked.

The bishop opened the box. Inside lay a small globe, not perfectly round, made out of clear crystal. "The aeroprism is used to help us fight back the Darkness, it shows us things we could not otherwise see," the bishop explained. "Right now, Lassic is unreachable, as he has moved to a dark castle in the air over Palma. No one knows exactly where it is, but if you raise the aeroprism up towards the Light, it can show the way under the right circumstances."

He gave the box to Mila. "We have set up various shelters all over Dezoris as to better protect the sacred items. I want you to take the aeroprism into the mountains and make sure it is delivered into the right hands. Do not let Lassic or his followers get a hold of it."

"Who is supposed to get it?" Mila asked.

"Only those of pure body, mind, and spirit. You will know when you see them." Mila wasn't completely sure about her instructions, but the bishop seemed to be in a hurry. He walked over to a chest of drawers and pulled out two pieces of paper, a golden key, and a small disk that looked like the one her father used to carry. "This is a map to the cave where your safe room is located, and this is a map of the cave itself. This key will open the room. Take Ederi with you, he can help ensure your safety and he can travel back and forth for supplies if necessary. You will need an ice digger to get through the mountains - there is one waiting for you behind the temple."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ederi's eyes lit up. "An ice digger!" he whispered. He had seen them in the shops before, but he had never had the opportunity to use one.

Mila could not share in his excitement, as she was worried about her duties. She took the aeroprism from the bishop and tried to sound confident as she said, "I'll do my best."

"I know you will." The bishop managed to smile at her. "Please hurry. I have prayed to the Light to protect our small town, but I do not know how long we have before the evil of the Darkness reaches our planet. Go quickly, and good luck!"

The bishop's ice digger was one of the smaller models, only big enough for Mila and Ederi to fit inside and not too comfortably. Ederi turned it on and guided it towards the entrance to the passageway to the surface. Once inside, he proceeded slowly, being careful not to hit any of the walls.

Mila navigated from the passenger's seat using the first map the bishop had given her. After leaving one of the mountain caves, Ederi drove to a familiar place. Mila pressed her face against the window to see the giant plain her father had wanted to show her all those years ago. Though she had grown, the vast openness of it still made her feel so very small.

Ederi snapped Mila out of her brief reverie by asking where to go next. Following her directions, he turned the wheel of the ice digger to the left and they continued south. As they approached the mountains, Mila doubted the power of the small vehicle, but the ice digger broke right through the walls of ice with ease.

They came out into a tiny space between the rocks. Mila squinted through the snow and saw an opening in the mountains. She pointed it out to Ederi and he parked the ice digger next to it. They exited the vehicle and hesitated slightly before entering the cave.

It was warmer inside than they had expected. Mila found her hands full and struggled to light the lamp and see the second map. She handed the box containing the aeroprism over to Ederi. "Be careful!" she warned.

The first part of the passageway to the safe room was fairly straightforward, with few turns. There were several locked doors and Mila used the key to open them. They came to a point where the passage branched out into two different directions and Mila studied the map. "I think we're supposed to go to the right," she said.

Neither was sure which of them heard the noise first. They both looked up simultaneously and listened. "What's that?" Mila asked.

"I don't know," Ederi said, "but it sounds like it's getting closer. Let's go."

They hurried down the passage, but the booming sound caught up to them. Mila turned around and screamed as she saw a giant, brown, ogre-type monster looming over them. She backed down the hallway, Ederi following after her, but there was nothing they could do. The monster raised its heavy fist and brought it crashing down onto Ederi's head.

Mila was too petrified to move. She watched as the monster leaned down and plucked the box from Ederi's motionless hands. It disappeared back down the hallway, its deep growls almost sounding like laughter.

Mila rushed over to her fallen brother and knelt down beside him. She shook him by the shoulders, but there was no response. Frantically whispering his name, she leaned over and put her ear to his mouth. She heard nothing.

She sat in the narrow passage, wondering what to do, when she started hearing more strange noises. She didn't know what they were, what was real and what was imagined, but she knew she couldn't stay in one place. Based on the map, she figured she was much closer to the safe room than the exit. Mila raced down the hallway, imagining all sorts of hideous creatures chasing after her, until she reached another locked door. Breathing quickly, she fumbled with the key and eventually got it open. She rushed inside, locked the door behind her, and burst into tears.

She had failed. Evil had procured the sacred aeroprism and she was to blame. Not only had she lost the aeroprism, she had lost her brother as well. Mila dropped the lamp next to her before she slid down to the floor and continued sobbing.

When she could cry no more, she brushed the tears from her eyes and looked around. The room was sparsely furnished, with two cots, a bookcase, and a large box. There were several books on the shelf and Mila assumed they were religious texts. Atop the bookcase stood one of the small stone replicas of the holy torch.

Mila crawled across the tiny room until she was directly in front of the tiny torch. Folding her hands in her lap, she faced upward and begged the Light for forgiveness. Following her pleas, she asked for guidance, as she had no idea what to do next.

The box in the corner caught her eye. She opened the lid and found a supply of burgers and cola, the traveler's food of choice. She did feel a little hungry, but chose to save the food for a later time. Exhausted, she collapsed onto one of the cots and quickly fell asleep.

When Mila awoke, she immediately knelt in front of the statue and prayed for the Light to instruct her what to do. Should she try to make her way back out of the cave? She was too afraid of another attack by the monsters to leave the room. Would someone from the village eventually notice that Ederi had not come back and send someone to look for them? She wasn't sure how many people knew he was supposed to return for supplies if needed. Mila tried to clear her mind and listen with an open heart, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't hear the Light speaking to her.

Mila had no concept of time in her windowless cell. She tried to eat only when she was absolutely famished, but she couldn't tell how much time was passing in between meals. She alternated between reading the holy texts, reading the book she had brought with her, and praying for help and direction.

As expected, the food supply began to dwindle. After she finished eating the last burger, she knelt in front of the statue and begged the Light to tell her what to do. Once finished with her prayers, Mila walked over to the door and cautiously opened it several inches. She stuck her head out into the hallway to listen, and heard various footsteps, growls, and screeches. Pulling her head back inside, she slammed the door shut. She knew she was trapped.

Mila grew weaker, though the pain of hunger eventually faded away. She knelt to pray one day and when she was done, she couldn't find the energy to get back up. She also didn't have the energy to be particularly bothered by this, so she lay back on the floor and stared at her stone torch. As she gazed at it, she could almost swear that the small solid flame began to flicker. She prayed to the Light again, but this time, her single prayer was a simple one: "I believe in whatever you feel is right, I put my faith in you."

She lay there for quite some time, though of course she wasn't sure for how long. She may have even drifted in and out of consciousness, but whenever her eyes were open, the holy torch stood in front of her. Mila was intently staring at the flame when she heard noises outside her door. This time, she was sure it wasn't in her imagination.

Mila closed her eyes. The monsters were coming to kill her, just as they had killed Ederi and her father, she was sure of it. But rather than the door crashing down, she heard a key in the lock. "Humans...they must be humans!" she whispered to herself.

She forced herself to stand up. The room seemed to spin around her, but she managed to face the door. When the door opened, she saw a girl, not much younger than herself, clutching something in her hands.

Mila looked down and saw that the girl was holding the aeroprism. Breathing a great sigh of relief, she started to cry, but no tears fell from her dry eyes; had they been there, though, they would have been tears of joy. "Thank the Light, it's been recovered," she whispered.

Mila looked up at the girl's face and was captivated by her clear blue eyes. As she stared into them, she knew that this was the person "of pure body, mind, and spirit" that the bishop had told her about. Satisfied that the aeroprism was in its rightful place, she began to give her prepared instructions.

"Raise the aeroprism towards the heavens!" Mila exclaimed in the loudest voice she could muster. "You should then be able to see the Dark Castle."

As Mila said the words, she felt a warmth growing inside her. She had fulfilled her duty and served the Light. She collapsed to the ground and felt the warm feeling extending all the way out to her fingertips. As she closed her eyes, she was vaguely aware of some voices around her and snippets of their conversation made their way to her ears: "...is she okay...take her with us...'cure' isn't working..."

The voices seemed to move further and further away from her. Mila's head fell to the side, eyes still closed, and she saw Ederi's face smiling at her. She called out his name, but he stepped to the side. Behind him stood Jonathan, extending his hand to his beloved daughter. Mila took his hand and they were walking through the trees again. She didn't have much time to enjoy the reunion, though, for as he led her back to his favorite place, the wide open plain on Dezoris, one last figure waited to greet her. Mila ran through the snow and saw the face she had almost forgotten – there was no mistaking the dark curly hair so similar to her own, the beautiful brown eyes, the warm smile...

As Mila raced towards the woman, the snow around them seemed to glow with a bright light. The trees behind her seemed to vanish and she could no longer distinguish between land and sky. As Mila embraced her mother, with her father and Ederi close behind, she gave herself over to the Light and allowed it to consume her.


End file.
